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How to Make an Olmec Head

The Olmec lived in the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico from 1500 B.C. to about 400 B.C. They are remembered for a number of things, but perhaps most famously, for their enormous sculptures of helmeted heads. Most of the stone heads are between 5 and 6 feet high, though smaller and larger ones also exist. They all exhibit roughly the same features, though it is not assumed they were modeled after the same person. Creating a 5-foot-high replica of an Olmec head out of chicken wire, paper mache and paint is a hands-on project that helps history come alive.

Things You'll Need

5-foot-by-20-foot length of chicken wire
2 5-foot square pieces of chicken wire
Heavy work gloves
Metal twist ties
Newspaper
Flour
Water
Large mixing bowl
3 cans light-colored faux stone spray paint
1 can dark-colored faux stone spray paint

Instructions

- 1
  Find a picture of the Olmec head you want to use for a model and print it for reference. Several pictures showing the back and sides as well as the face will be the most useful.
- 2
  Fold one 5-foot wide, 20-foot long length of the chicken wire at 5-foot intervals to form a square.
- 3
  Secure the ends with metal twist ties so the square holds its shape. You should now have a square tunnel shape with two open sides.
- 4
  Secure one 5-foot square piece of chicken wire over one of the open ends of the chicken wire tunnel using metal twist ties.
- 5
  Secure the second 5-foot square piece of chicken wire over the remaining open end of the chicken wire tunnel using metal twist ties. You should now have a chicken wire cube.
- 6
  Select one side of the cube to be the head's face. This can be any side you choose.
- 7
  Measure 18 inches down from the top edge of the face. Pull the chicken wire out in a ridge all the way around the head. This will be the edge of the helmet. Push the chicken wire in slightly under this ridge to extenuate the ridge.
- 8
  Pinch and bend the chicken wire to shape the eyes below the helmet ridge.
- 9
  Mold the chicken wire by pushing and pulling the mesh to form a nose in the center of the face under the helmet ridge.
- 10
  Form the mouth below the nose, creating two ridges for lips.
- 11
  Form ears on either side of the head.
- 12
  Rip or cut newspaper into strips 2 inches wide. Do not use any newspaper that has a glossy texture, such as advertisements, as this paper tends not to hold paper mache well.
- 13
  Make the paper mache by combining water and flour in a large bowl. Begin with a one-to-one proportion, adding more flour until the mixture resembles thick pudding.
- 14
  Wet the newspaper in the flour and water mixture and lay the strips on the chicken wire frame. Cover the entire frame with the paper mache and allow to dry for 72 hours.
- 15
  Apply additional paper mache strips in layers to enhance the head's features. For example, to spotlight the shape of the eyes or add detail to the nose and mouth, build up layers of paper mache in those areas. Let the head completely dry again.
- 16
  Spray the entire head with the lighter color of faux stone spray paint and allow to dry for 24 hours.
- 17
  Spray the darker faux stone spray paint into the areas where you want to create shadows.
- 18
  Allow the paint to dry completely before moving the sculpture.

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